Private Cyril Morris - RAOC

Cyril Morris was serving with the 8th Army at Tobruk, when the port was seized by the Germans. Along with around 35,000 other men, Cyril was taken prisoner, and moved from Libya to Fara Sabina in Italy. When Mussolini was ousted from power, there was general confusion at the camp, and Cyril managed to slip away. He ran to the hills, and lived there for several months with an Italian family. He was then recaptured, and the PoWs at the German camps were loaded onto cattle trucks, to be taken by train to Germany. However, the train was bombed by American planes. Cyril survived, and presented himself at the gate of a British Army camp, with no uniform or ID. The guard who questioned him turned out to have a cousin from Dolgellau, Dennis Arnfield, whom Cyril had gone to school with.

All photos Copyright Cyril Morris Click on an Image to enlarge

Cyril Morris with colleagues near Tobruk, North Africa, 1942

Cartoon in general circulation among British servicemen, 1940's

Army Form B.104-83, sent to Cyril Morris's family informing them that he was missing in action, 28 July 1942